1
|
Carrillo-Bustamante P, Costa G, Lampe L, Levashina EA. Evolutionary modelling indicates that mosquito metabolism shapes the life-history strategies of Plasmodium parasites. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8139. [PMID: 38097582 PMCID: PMC10721866 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43810-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Within-host survival and between-host transmission are key life-history traits of single-celled malaria parasites. Understanding the evolutionary forces that shape these traits is crucial to predict malaria epidemiology, drug resistance, and virulence. However, very little is known about how Plasmodium parasites adapt to their mosquito vectors. Here, we examine the evolution of the time Plasmodium parasites require to develop within the vector (extrinsic incubation period) with an individual-based model of malaria transmission that includes mosquito metabolism. Specifically, we model the metabolic cascade of resource allocation induced by blood-feeding, as well as the influence of multiple blood meals on parasite development. Our model predicts that successful vector-to-human transmission events are rare, and are caused by long-lived mosquitoes. Importantly, our results show that the life-history strategies of malaria parasites depend on the mosquito's metabolic status. In our model, additional resources provided by multiple blood meals lead to selection for parasites with slow or intermediate developmental time. These results challenge the current assumption that evolution favors fast developing parasites to maximize their chances to complete their within-mosquito life cycle. We propose that the long sporogonic cycle observed for Plasmodium is not a constraint but rather an adaptation to increase transmission potential.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Giulia Costa
- Vector Biology Unit, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lena Lampe
- Vector Biology Unit, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Physiology and Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, NW11AT, London, UK
| | - Elena A Levashina
- Vector Biology Unit, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Greischar MA, Childs LM. Extraordinary parasite multiplication rates in human malaria infections. Trends Parasitol 2023; 39:626-637. [PMID: 37336700 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2023.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
For pathogenic organisms, faster rates of multiplication promote transmission success, the potential to harm hosts, and the evolution of drug resistance. Parasite multiplication rates (PMRs) are often quantified in malaria infections, given the relative ease of sampling. Using modern and historical human infection data, we show that established methods return extraordinarily - and implausibly - large PMRs. We illustrate how inflated PMRs arise from two facets of malaria biology that are far from unique: (i) some developmental ages are easier to sample than others; (ii) the distribution of developmental ages changes over the course of infection. The difficulty of accurately quantifying PMRs demonstrates a need for robust methods and a subsequent re-evaluation of what is known even in the well-studied system of malaria.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Megan A Greischar
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Lauren M Childs
- Department of Mathematics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Declines in prevalence alter the optimal level of sexual investment for the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2122165119. [PMID: 35867831 PMCID: PMC9335338 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2122165119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Like most human pathogens, the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum experiences strong selection pressure from public health interventions such as drug treatment. While most commonly studied in the context of drug targets and related pathways, parasite adaptation to control measures likely extends to phenotypes beyond drug resistance. Here, we use modeling to explore how control measures can reduce levels of within-host competition between P. falciparum genotypes and favor higher rates of sexual investment. We validate these predictions with longitudinally sampled genomic data from French Guiana during a period of malaria decline and find that the most strongly selected genes are enriched for transcription factors involved in commitment to and development of the parasite’s sexual gametocyte form. Successful infectious disease interventions can result in large reductions in parasite prevalence. Such demographic change has fitness implications for individual parasites and may shift the parasite’s optimal life history strategy. Here, we explore whether declining infection rates can alter Plasmodium falciparum’s investment in sexual versus asexual growth. Using a multiscale mathematical model, we demonstrate how the proportion of polyclonal infections, which decreases as parasite prevalence declines, affects the optimal sexual development strategy: Within-host competition in multiclone infections favors a greater investment in asexual growth whereas single-clone infections benefit from higher conversion to sexual forms. At the same time, drug treatment also imposes selection pressure on sexual development by shortening infection length and reducing within-host competition. We assess these models using 148 P. falciparum parasite genomes sampled in French Guiana over an 18-y period of intensive intervention (1998 to 2015). During this time frame, multiple public health measures, including the introduction of new drugs and expanded rapid diagnostic testing, were implemented, reducing P. falciparum malaria cases by an order of magnitude. Consistent with this prevalence decline, we see an increase in the relatedness among parasites, but no single clonal background grew to dominate the population. Analyzing individual allele frequency trajectories, we identify genes that likely experienced selective sweeps. Supporting our model predictions, genes showing the strongest signatures of selection include transcription factors involved in the development of P. falciparum’s sexual gametocyte form. These results highlight how public health interventions impose wide-ranging selection pressures that affect basic parasite life history traits.
Collapse
|
4
|
Smith DR, Temime L, Opatowski L. Microbiome-pathogen interactions drive epidemiological dynamics of antibiotic resistance: A modeling study applied to nosocomial pathogen control. eLife 2021; 10:68764. [PMID: 34517942 PMCID: PMC8560094 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The human microbiome can protect against colonization with pathogenic antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), but its impacts on the spread of antibiotic resistance are poorly understood. We propose a mathematical modeling framework for ARB epidemiology formalizing within-host ARB-microbiome competition, and impacts of antibiotic consumption on microbiome function. Applied to the healthcare setting, we demonstrate a trade-off whereby antibiotics simultaneously clear bacterial pathogens and increase host susceptibility to their colonization, and compare this framework with a traditional strain-based approach. At the population level, microbiome interactions drive ARB incidence, but not resistance rates, reflecting distinct epidemiological relevance of different forces of competition. Simulating a range of public health interventions (contact precautions, antibiotic stewardship, microbiome recovery therapy) and pathogens (Clostridioides difficile, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae) highlights how species-specific within-host ecological interactions drive intervention efficacy. We find limited impact of contact precautions for Enterobacteriaceae prevention, and a promising role for microbiome-targeted interventions to limit ARB spread.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Rm Smith
- Institut Pasteur, Epidemiology and Modelling of Antibiotic Evasion (EMAE), Paris, France.,Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, Inserm, CESP, Anti-infective evasion and pharmacoepidemiology team, Montigny-Le-Bretonneux, France.,Modélisation, épidémiologie et surveillance des risques sanitaires (MESuRS), Conservatoire national des arts et métiers, Paris, France
| | - Laura Temime
- Modélisation, épidémiologie et surveillance des risques sanitaires (MESuRS), Conservatoire national des arts et métiers, Paris, France.,PACRI unit, Institut Pasteur, Conservatoire national des arts et métiers, Paris, France
| | - Lulla Opatowski
- Institut Pasteur, Epidemiology and Modelling of Antibiotic Evasion (EMAE), Paris, France.,Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, Inserm, CESP, Anti-infective evasion and pharmacoepidemiology team, Montigny-Le-Bretonneux, France
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Greischar MA, Alexander HK, Bashey F, Bento AI, Bhattacharya A, Bushman M, Childs LM, Daversa DR, Day T, Faust CL, Gallagher ME, Gandon S, Glidden CK, Halliday FW, Hanley KA, Kamiya T, Read AF, Schwabl P, Sweeny AR, Tate AT, Thompson RN, Wale N, Wearing HJ, Yeh PJ, Mideo N. Evolutionary consequences of feedbacks between within-host competition and disease control. EVOLUTION MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 2020:30-34. [PMID: 32099654 PMCID: PMC7027713 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoaa004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Lay Summary: Competition often occurs among diverse parasites within a single host, but control efforts could change its strength. We examined how the interplay between competition and control could shape the evolution of parasite traits like drug resistance and disease severity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Megan A Greischar
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks St., Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Helen K Alexander
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Zoology Research and Administration Building, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Farrah Bashey
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1001 E. 3rd St., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Ana I Bento
- Odum School of Ecology and the Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, 140 E Green St., Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Amrita Bhattacharya
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1001 E. 3rd St., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Mary Bushman
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Lauren M Childs
- Department of Mathematics, McBryde Hall, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - David R Daversa
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3BX, UK.,Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Troy Day
- Departments of Mathematics & Biology, Jeffery Hall, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Christina L Faust
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | | | - Sylvain Gandon
- CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS - Université de Montpellier, Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier, EPHE, 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Caroline K Glidden
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, 3029 Cordley Hall Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Fletcher W Halliday
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Zürich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - Kathryn A Hanley
- Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Foster Hall, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
| | - Tsukushi Kamiya
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks St., Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Andrew F Read
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Huck Institutes for the Life Sciences; Departments of Biology and Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Philipp Schwabl
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Amy R Sweeny
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Zoology Research and Administration Building, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Ann T Tate
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Robin N Thompson
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Zoology Research and Administration Building, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK.,Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK.,Christ Church, University of Oxford, St Aldates, Oxford OX1 1DP, UK
| | - Nina Wale
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 1105 North University Ave, Biological Sciences Building, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Helen J Wearing
- Departments of Biology and Mathematics & Statistics, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Pamela J Yeh
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, 621 Charles E Young Dr South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Nicole Mideo
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks St., Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada
| |
Collapse
|